Christmas and Its Origin..Do you know?

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As many people say, Christmas is a celebration for Christians where they remember the birth of Jesus Christ. They celebrate this birth on the 25th of December every year. Was Jesus actually born on the 25th? Is Christmas a celebration Christians should get themselves involved in? Let's see.

Trace the origin of Christmas, stating at least 3 facts that support or counters the celebration.

According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, the roots of Christmas are not traced back to the scriptures, rather, they are traced back to pagan celebrations, such as one called Roman Saturnalia, a celebration used to remember Saturn, the god of agriculture. Another celebration that used to be done on the 25th of December is the celebration of the birthday of god Mithra also known as the invincible sun. During these celebrations, pagans shared gifts and feasted.

About three centuries after the death of Christ, Christians turned the pagan celebrations into the celebration of the birth of Christ, what we call Christmas. They preserved the pagan practice of feasting and sharing gifts.

The Christmas Tree

Source

The Christmas tree dates back to between 1500 and 500 B.C.E, long before Jesus' time on earth. In some parts of Sweden and Norway, there are carvings of spruce trees/Christmas trees.

In those days, these spruce trees were revered due to their scarcity and the fact that they could survive even during winter when other trees die off. Hence, they became a part of pagans' worship at that time. When these pagans converted to Christianity, they continued their pagan custom of worshipping spruce trees.

Later in 1841, the British royal family used the spruce tree to decorate their palace and since then, the Christmas tree has become a part of Christmas celebrations. However, the carvings in Norway and Sweden provide silent testimony that the Christmas tree is of pagan origin.

Was Jesus born on 25th December?

The simple answer is no. I'll try to explain why in a simple manner. The Bible made no mention of when Jesus was born, but we can try to deduce when.

The Bible clearly said that when Jesus was born, shepherds were taking care of their sheep in the field, at night. Now the question arises, can shepherds be outside with their sheep at night on the 25th of December, a period where winter is at it's peak with thick snow everywhere? The answer is no. It's obvious, it must have been before winter. In fact, bible scholars have come to the conclusion that Jesus was born between late September and early October.

Why do you choose to or choose not to celebrate Christmas

I choose not to celebrate chair because of the following reasons.

1. Jesus was not born on the 25th of December as I have explained before

2. The only thing Jesus asked his followers to celebrate is his death, not his birth. In fact, no evidence show that Jesus himself or even the first century Christians celebrated Christmas.

3. The origin of the celebration itself. From the celebration to the practices surrounding the celebration, all have pagan roots.

What does Christmas mean for you?

To me, Christmas is a pagan celebration, it doesn't mean anything.

I've done well to explain the origin of Christmas and why I chose not to celebrate Christmas. However, it's important to note that I don't have any problem with those who choose to celebrate Christmas. Therefore I hope others respect my choice too.
I invite @vudeme123, @mmekan and @usoro01 to try out this contest.